"How many cars move beside the river?"
Translation:Hány autó halad a folyó mellett?
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Basically, "uncountable versus countable." Usually, hány is translated as "how many" and is asking about something you can answer by counting (discrete units). Mennyi is "how much" and is asking about a quantity that is not necessarily countable.
How many apples are in the basket? Hány alma van a kosárban?
How much water is in the tub? Mennyi víz van a kádban?
But Hungarian is more forgiving here, you can use "mennyi" with countable objects, as well. Not the other way around, though. Let's say it depends on whether you expect a "countable answer".
Q: Mennyi alma? - A: Két kiló (Two kilos). Or you can say the number of apples.
Q: Hány alma? - A: Tizenöt (15). I was definitely asking the number of apples.
And "Mennyi" can also be used in exclamations like "Wow, look at all those cars!" - "Mennyi autó!" In this case, the countability does not matter at all. You use "mennyi".
